Volcanic eruption, Hawaii, May 2018

07 May 2018

A volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island erupted on Thursday, May 3, 2018, prompting the evacuation of over 1,700 residents. The Kilauea volcano erupted again over the weekend of May 19th and experts say the volcano has now entered a steady state of eruption. There are multiple lava streams emptying into the Pacific Ocean and over 20 fissures have opened, spewing lava and dangerous sulfur dioxide into the air. Hundreds of structures, many of them homes, have been destroyed by lava thus far and a critical access point for thousands of residents, Highway 137, is now breached by lava flow and more evacuation orders are in place. The island is also experiencing thousands of earthquakes, some caused by the movement of the magma itself and some tectonic. The largest quake was a M6.9 on Friday, May 4th.